Reader x Ed
by Sora XD
Summary: A story about the Fullmetal Alchemist and YOU! Not totally AU but doesn't cross the main story too much. Rated T for language and violence.
1. Letter

[Hello! This is my first FMA fiction (and fiction altogether) so please review, and give me some help! I'm fairly sure that I'm going to continue this story. This is simply an introduction, this way we don't have flashbacks and such. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!]

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_Dear Mom,_

_Look, don't get the wrong idea. I'm not writing this letter to make peace. I still hate you, and, right now, I can't find it in my heart to forgive you. I have heard rumors of you living in Aquroa, and decided to send you a letter to tell you how things have been going sense you ran away._

_Where do I start? Brother and I had it rough that first year you were gone. We had the worst winter in years, and the town was nearly wiped out multiple times. But hay, that's Briggs for ya! If it weren't for the soldiers and our own mettle, I don't think we would have survived. As soon as spring came and the snows melted some, we were caught off guard by a really bad sickness, Diphtheria I believe is what it is called? Because of North City, only a few of the small children died. I was one of the lucky ones who caught it after the treatment came._

_Fast forward five years, and that's when my life when in a downward spiral...again. Brother enlisted to fight in the war, leaving me with the Hako's. Even though Miley and I were still friends, we drifted after Brother was killed. You do know about that right? Anyway, I began searching for the key to human transmutation._

_Well, after my short period of depression following Brother's death, I found that alchemy made me happy, and that I lived to find knowlage about the subject and become a better alchemist. So, I traveled to a little town west of Resembool to speak with a man who claimed he would be my teacher. I only studied under him for two years, due to conflicting ideals that I don't want to bore you with. Even though we had our differences, I learned far more under him than I ever did on my own. He not only instructed me in alchemy, but he also shared with me the importance of defending myself: without the use of alchemy. I learned many different fighting styles,and became skilled in an array of weapons. I'm stronger in every way, physically (especially physically), mentally, and even emotionally because of Teacher. I spent a significant amount of time in Central as well, studying to take the State Alchemist Exam. My sponsor didn't take to kindly to me at first, but he ended up respecting me not only as an alchemist, but as a person as well. By the time all of this had happened, I was only at age 14._

_I'm sure you've heard of the Fullmetal Alchemist? Well, hearing his story inspired me to work harder. I've decided to take the State Alchemist exam this year, and I believe I've got a pretty good shot at passing._

_I highly doubt that you read all through this, Mother, but I do hope your doing alright._

_Sencerly, _  
_(Reader's name)_

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As you sighed your name at the bottom, you noticed a tear drop on the left side of the page. The two a.m. Bells rang, and you were shocked at how long it had taken you to write your letter. Crumpled-up paper lay scattered about your moonlit room. As you stretched your arms and yawned, you balanced your chair on the back legs. Suddenly, you changed the center of balance, sending you toppling to the floor. You cursed, but laughed lightly and blew out the candle that illuminated your messy desk.

_Only one more month until I become a state alchemist._

[so there it is! Sorry it's short and boring. Ch.2 will be coming shortly, so just bare with me :D ]


	2. 840000 Seconds

_Hi! here is Chapter 2. I'm basically introducing you to your parental figure, that I promos will play an important roll somewhere down the line. So please don't skip! YOU WILL NEED TO KNOW THIS FOR LATER CHAPTER! Anyway, this is -Hopfully- the last mini story chapter. Sorry and enjoy!_

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**1 WEEK**

"(Name!)" Ms. Minikui yelled as you nodded off at the kitchen table.

"Hmm?" You ask, trying to keep your eyelids from falling again, but you were just too tired...

"(Name)!" She yelled again, only this time because you had fallen into your bowl of cereal.

"What the hell do you want, woman!?" You snapped back, wiping the food off your face. You had only gotten a total of three hours of sleep the night before, because you were deciphering alchemy notes and lost track of time. "I was up until 5 am deciphering notes, so excuse me for being a little low on sleep." You added, with a little sarcasm.

Ms. Minikui laughed dryly as she took your breakfast away, and began washing it. "Still looking for the key?" She asked, shooting you a look. Ms. Minikui wasn't the most beautiful woman in the world, but she wasn't ugly either, despite what her surname implied. ('Minikui' is Japanese for 'ugly') She had long black hair, and slightly tanned skin. She was a little on the flabby side, but only because she was about a billion years old. She was never married, and only had two cats that she refereed to has her children.

"Yeah, and I'm gonna keep looking until I figure it out." You replied, yawning and laying your head on the table. You long (hair color) hair was tied back in a messy braid, and you needed a shower. This was your fourth night without antiquate sleep, and the bags under your eyes where large and puffy. It was no wonder you were falling asleep right there at the table.

Ms. Minikui's small home in Central had been home to you for nearly six months now. She wasn't much of an alchemist, but she offered to teach you the styles of fighting they used in Xing, and a place to stay until you passed the Exam. So you having no other options, and not wanting to miss out on new knowledge, took her offer in a heartbeat.

"Well sweetheart..."She started. "You need to stop staying up so late. You'll die of exhaustion before you can find what you're looking for!" She joked, but you knew she really did mean what she said. "Go take a nap. I'll excuse you from your lessons today."

"But I don't wanna..." You protested

"GO TO BED NOW!" She yelled, pointing her kitchen knife at you.

"Ok! Im going!" You retreated before she could throw it. That old woman had killer aim.

You climbed the stares carefully, as it's was a proven fact that your coordination and basic motor skills were that of a drunk when you were sleep deprived. You stomped down the hallway as you always had, because you liked the way the floor creaked when lots of pressure was put on it. Once up in your room, you took you time actually going to bed. You spent almost an hour and a half just staining out the window, and another at the ceiling. In less than a week, you would be leaving her. You weren't one to cry, but the thought of leaving the comfort of the only home you ever knew, saddened you. Your mind flashed to the thought of what would happen if you didn't pass the exam, but you quickly dispelled the thought. _I am going to become a state alchemist._

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**6 DAYS**  
The steam from the bath escaped when you opened the door, and for the first time in a wile, you felt completely clean. You scampered down the hallway and into your room, closing the window shades quickly so that no one could see you. You changed into some clothes quickly, and sat at your desk. It was a mess to say the least, but you didn't dare move a thing, because it was all part of your research.

"(Name)!?" Ms. Minikuni yelled to you from downstairs.

"Yes?" You yell back, coming to the staircase.

"Would you help me with the pie? I never can make them as good as you can." She smiled, waving you down to the kitchen.

You loved to cook and bake. It was just like alchemy, but without the equivalent exchange...and it was edible. When you reached the kitchen, the smell of fresh apples, and cinnamon stimulated your senses, and you couldn't help but stand there sniffing the air for a second. But only a second. Pies don't bake themselves! You first made the crust, then pealed and cut the apples, added the cinnamon, spices, sugar, more sugar...and after about an hour of prep, you popped the pie in the oven. Then you waited a hole ten seconds before checking the oven to see if it was done yet. Patience was not one of your strong suits. After almost going into a brake down twice, it was finally done!

As you and Ms. Minikui sat at the table eating the delicious pie, you frowned at the fact that this would be the last pie you would get to bake with her.

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**96 HOURS (four days)**

It was only six in the morning when you slipped out of the house. Today was Minikui's 67th birthday, and you hadn't gotten her a gift yet. As you strode down the streets to the market, you were greeted by one of you friends. Her name was Kano, and she often came over for dinner or to ask you for help around her store. She was also great at haggling.

Everyone seemed to be selling the same things. Cloth, food, 'rare' pieces of pottery, jewelry, cloths, and just old junk. You just couldn't find the right gift for her...until you stumbled across weapons from Xing. You carefully picked up a staff with gold accents. This was more for decoration than fighting, but you still believed it would be a nice gift for a woman who was armed to the teeth.

"Excuse me sir? How much for this staff?" You asked, holding the staff in front Of the man who was selling the piece.

"O-oh, that? W-well, that's about, ah, 700 cens." He said, picking something out of his teeth and rearranging things, not giving you his undivided attention.

"WHAT THE HELL!" You shout In disbelief.

"(name,) Settle down. Let me handle this." Kano said, softly patting you on the shoulder.

"Look here, Sir. Don't you think 700 cens is a bit pricey?" She started, leaning over his counter a little. "I mean, it's not even that nice,"

"Now look here Girlie. That staff is one-of-ah-kind!" He shot back, defending his merchandise.

"But if you look at that scratch here...and the chip here...and this here..." She relied, pointing to scratches and other imperfections. The man nodded and took note. "I'm a professional weapons appraiser and from what I'm seeing, this staff isn't even worth half of 700 cens." Kano stated doing over-the-top gestures to sell her act.

The man took a second before responding to Kano. "Ok, tell you what. I'll charge you 150 cens."

Kano smiled, and shook her head 'no'. Taking the staff from you, she continued to show the man errors in the staff until he finally decided to let you take the item for 25 cens, as Kano had told him that was the best offer he would get for something so 'flawed'. Satisfied with this price, you shelled out the money, and took the staff away.

"Kano? Are you actually a weapons appraiser?" You ask as the two of you made your way from the market. Kano suddenly burst into laughter and told you that she made the hole thing up. I'm glad I brought her along.

* * *

**2880 MINUETS (two days)**

Kin and Kuna (the cats) were curled up by the stove as Minikuni prepared for dinner. Tonight's dish was her famous Ahi tuna, and boy, was it smelling good tonight! By the time dinner was ready, it was dark. Tonight was strangely quiet, as you didn't have the usual surprise guest.

Suddenly, Kin jumped onto the table, soon followed by Kano. You frown as they walk up and down the table, smelling the food, and shedding all over your dinner. After about ten minuets, you lost it.

"Can you make the cats get of the table or something. I want to eat tuna, not Kuna." You stated, your irritation obvious.

"sorry, can't help you." She answered, not even noticing that the cats were now licking your food.

You were pissed. First, your dinner is being stollen by a couple of house cats, and now, the person in charge of them wont lift a finger. So you stood up, picked up the cats, and left them outside all alone, until Minikui made you sleep outside as well. These where her exact words "if your going to treat my animals like animals, then I'm going to treat you like an animal as well!" Even though you weren't quite sure if she realized that you were a person, and Kin and Kuna where cats, you didn't dare protest.

* * *

**86400 SECONDS (one day) **

It was your last day before the exam, and you were very excited, but also sore from having to sleep outside all night, and for some strange reason, Minikuni had sent you away for the day. She didn't even tell you why! So as you walked about central, you thought about what that crazy woman was up to now. Last time she sent you off, you came home and the hole house was flooded in the woman's attempt to deep clean the house.

You are walking by the park when you notice you are being followed. "Bark! Bark!"

"What do you want!" You yell, knowing that the dog wouldn't be able to answer back. The dog keeps barking and seemingly telling you to follow it. So you do.

The dog takes you a butcher shop, and you quickly get the message that the animal is hungry and wants some food. So you walk into the store, and buy some scraps. You head back outside, and quickly give the animal some food. The dog was red and white, and about 45 pounds. He was strong, but skinny. He also didn't have a collar, so you assumed he was a stray. After the dog finished his food, and you were walking home, you noticed you were being followed again.

It was dark by the time you arrived home, and it looked like Minikuni had fallen asleep, because the lights were out. You tried to open the front door, but it was locked. And so was the back door. And all the windows. What now? You thought for a second. "I'll just make my own door." You say, completing a transmutation circle on the back side of the house. You smile at your good work, and enter the house. You walked into the kitchen when suddenly, the lights flipped on, and your house is filled with all your friends. You smiled,and hugged Minikui as she and everyone else wished you good luck on your exam tomorrow.

_Thank you, Minikuni._

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_So there! Hope it wasn't too bad! Ch.3 is on the way, and in that chapter you -finally- meet the Elrics! If you have any ideas, don't be scared to PM me or post in the Comments! I'm looking for a way to possibly have someone die, so let me know if you have an idea about how I could do that. _


	3. The Elrics

_hi! here's a nice long-ish chapter. Hope you like it!_

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"Im here to see Colonel Mustang! It's very important!" You shout at the men blocking the doors.

"I don't know who you think you are, but we can't let kids into Central Command without a reason." The one on the right said annoyed.

"I DO HAVE A REASON DUMBASS!" You yell, pushing past the soldier.

"HAY! YOU CANT DO THAT!" They both scream wile trying to grab you, but you're too agile, and get away.

You were sprinting, but now Central Command was on alert, and looking for you. _Damn it_. You thought, as your path was blocked by about ten armed soldiers. You were still sprinting, and skid to a stop, before high-tailing it in the other direction. _Just up these stairs, and ahh! _You told yourself as you ascended the stairs, but realized that more soldiers where coming to apprehend you. You quickly transmuted a wall in their way, and hoped that that would slow them down. You exerted the stare well, and looked for another way up. It didn't take you long to find your escape route, and you were soon on your way to the Colonel's office.

You threw open the doors, and were out of breath by the time you reached Mustang's office.

"So I assume you had no trouble getting in?" He asked sarcastically.

You rolled your eyes and took a seat at the chair in front of his desk. Mustang rummaged through his desk, and pulled put a pocket watch, and a certificate that was addressed to you. You took the items in your hands, and read the paper. It was from King Bradley himself, assigning you your code name, and congratulating you on becoming a state alchemist. After reading the paper, you put the silver watch in your pocket. The doors behind you opened, and a short, blonde-haired boy and a suit of armor walked into the room.

"What's with all the commotion out there?" The short boy asked.

"Did something happen?" The armored _BOY_ asked.

"Nothing happened, just a case of mistaken identity, that's all." Mustang replied. "Did you follow up on that lead?" He asked, leaning back in his chair.

"We did, and it panned out to nothing!" The blonde kid shouted angrily.

"It's ok, brother. We did find something though." The armored one added, putting a notebook on the Colonel's desk. "Theses are some alchemy notes that we found, and hopefully it will help us find a philosopher stone."

Your eyes widened at the mention of the stone. You didn't realize that it was actually real. "You're looking for the stone?" You asked, standing up out of your seat.

The short boy looked at you, and frowned. "Why, are you looking for it?"

"No..." You answered.

"(Name) i'de like you to meet the Fullmetal Alchemist, and his brother, Alphonse." The Colonel chimed in.

"Oh, it's nice to finally meet the Fullmetal alchemist! It's no wonder they call you that, too!" You exclaimed, as you shook the armored boy's hand.

"DAMN IT IM THE FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST!" The short one screamed at you.

"Ah, sorry. Well, I'm (name) the (code name) alchemist. It's a pleasure to meet you!" You said embarrassed, and shook hands with the real Fullmetal alchemist.

"Oh so your the (code name alchemist). I thought you would be less...ahh..." The boy started, Turing a deep shade of red.

"Less what?" You asked, putting your hands on your hips.

"You know what, never mind. My name is Edward, and that armor is Alphonse, my _YOUNGER_ brother." Edward explained, emphasizing the fact that Alphonse was not older than him.

"Enough small talk." The colonel interrupted. "Here are your new orders. I want the three of you to figure out if those notes are useful or not. Report back to me of you find something. Sound easy enough?"

"Why does she have to work with us?" Ed wined.

"Sorry to tell you this Ed, but she scored higher than you on the written exam, so I think she'll be just fine." Mustang explained.

Ed looked at you in disbelief. Your cheeks turned a little pink, and you half smiled. Al seemed happy that you would be helping them, but Ed didn't seem to be liking the idea so much. He walked out the door in a huff, leaving you, Al, and Mustang to continue talking.

"Hay (name), why don't you meet us at the library tonight so that we can start going through those notes!" Al decided as he wrote down a time and address on a scratch sheet of paper. You took it, and nodded in approval.

"See you tonight!" You shouted as Al left the office.

After you finished your meeting with the colonel, you went home and got ready for meeting the boys. You made a pie, and got lots of paper, pen, pencils, and other things that would help you with the notes. Then, you went off to the library.

It was dark when you reached the library, and for some reason, the street lights weren't on. But you didn't think it really mattered. You walked to the entrance of the library, and showed the guard your watch to get in. Once inside, Al was the first one to greet you.

"Hi, Al. I brought us an apple pie for desert." You smiled as you came to the table that you were going to use for your studying.

"Wow, really?" Edward replied, looking hungry at the pie.

"yeah! I made it myself this afternoon." You answered, sitting down and putting your supplies on the table.

"You like to bake?" Al asked, looking at the still steaming pie.

"I sure do! It's like edible alchemy." You stated, moving it out of Ed's reach. "I did say it was for desert, didn't I?" You said, shooting Ed a look.

Al laughed. "Well, let's get started." You and Ed nodded in agreement and began taking notes. Deciphering notes took a large portion of time, and these were no exception. After about two hours, you were the one who suggested a break.

"My brain hurts." You complained.

"You know, pie always makes my head feel better..." Edward stated, implicitly asking for some.

"Alright. Fine. Al, would you like some?" You ask, getting out a few forks. Ed and Al looked at each other, and quickly made up an excuse as to why Al couldn't have any. "Damn it!" You say angrily.

"Whats's wrong?" Ed asks.

"I just forgot to bring a knife to cut up the pie." You said.

"Oh, that's ok. Ill spare you the trouble of cutting it up by eating it all myself!" He said as he quickly stole the dessert away from you and began eating it as quickly as he could without cloaking.

"Hay you stop that! Same me some!" You wine, trying to wrestle Edward for some of the pie.

Once the pie was finished, you and Ed got back down to business. The three of you spent nearly twenty hours (collectively) trying to deciphering the notes, before you finally were able to crack the code. However, what the notes reveled were not exactly what you were expecting.

"This is this really it?" You asked, frowning.

"I guess so." Al sighed.

"So much for getting another lead to the philosopher stone." You said, leaning back your chair.

"Yeah, so much for that." Ed added. The three of you sighed, and thought about a the chance that you may have missed something.

"Maybe we missed something?" Al asked, shuffling sheets of paper around.

"I don't think so, Al." Ed frowned.

"Well, I don't know Ed. Maybe we DID miss something." You replied, starting to look back though the notes. So now you and Al were shuffling through papers, hoping to see something that you hadn't seen before.

"This word sure is repeated a lot." You mention to Al.

"Your right. It's here...here...here...and here too!" Al said to you as he circled all the words. By now, Ed had joined the search as well.

"Isn't this word another word for that?" Asked Ed, looking through a dictionary.

You knew that the information you were looking for was far less obvious than that, so you looked deeper, until you found something interesting. "I may have found something." You stated, pointing to some text and scribbles.

"Yeah, but what does it mean?" Al asked.

"Well, I'm not an expert on the philosopher stone." You replied, sitting back in your chair. "But any lead is a lead." You mentioned. "Sorry guys, but I don't know anything about it. It's up to you to follow the lead."

_Hi (name) went to investigate that lead. Should be back in about a week. Ed._


	4. Gifts

_Here is chapter 4. Sorry it's a bit late, but school is a pain in the ass right before Christmas. Hope you enjoy! It's a little short, but it's sweet. Hope you like it! _

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Hours turned to days, and days slowly added up until finally the Elric boys were due back. Mustang sent you to make sure they didn't run off before reporting back to him, but you didn't really mind. Something about those boys made you smile a real smile, something you didn't do very often. As you waited for their train to arrive, you had decided to take a look around. Even though you had spent a fairly large portion of time in central, you didn't know the station very well. You explored the tourist traps, and all the stores and shops around the platform the boys' train was coming into. There were lots of colors, and colorful people to talk to, but before you really got into any of that, the train had arrived.

Finding Ed will be tough, but Al... You thought to yourself, as you stood on a bench to get a better view of the crowd. You found it strange that Ed's younger brother was tall enough, and strong enough to wear that armor, and that he chose to wear it all the time. Something was up, but you didn't know them well enough to ask personal questions quite like that. Finally, you caught sight of Alphonse.

"AL!" You shout, jumping up and down, waving your hand to catch his attention. When he finally saw you, he waved back, and pulled Ed over to where you were.

"Welcome back!" You shouted enthusiastically. The boys smiled, but didn't say anything.

"So how was it? Did you find what you were looking for?" You asked, trying to strike up a conversation. Ed and Al shook there heads 'no'. "Oh. Sorry to hear that." You said, frowning.

"Na, it's ok. We'll get a lead that will be worth our time one of these days." Ed commented, reclining in the bench.

"Ed? Can I give it to her?" Alphonse asked out of nowhere. Ed nodded, and handed Al a bag of stuff. After a few seconds of searching, Al gave you a box with white striped wrapping paper and a silver bow. You looked it for a little, then tore it open.

"Wow! It's beautiful!" You exclaimed, slipping the silver and turquoise bracket on your wrist. You smiled and gave them both a hug, taking Ed by surprise. "It was so sweet of you to think of me! Thanks!"

"Well, Al thought we should get you something because you helped us out." Ed sighed, pretending he wasn't happy that you liked it.

"Don't lie, brother! You just wanted to get (name) something nice because you -" Al teased, but was stopped by his brother before he could finish. Ed was starting to blush. You pretended to not not take notice, but you felt your cheeks get a little pink.

"I'm hungry." Ed grumbled.

"My favorite restaurant is only thirteen blocks from here." You stated. Ed didn't seem convinced. "Please? It will be my treat." You added, hoping that would be enough to convince him and Al to come.

"Fine, but the food better be good." He finally said after a bit of awkward silence.

"What about you, Al? I don't want you to be all alone." You smiled.

"I-ate on the train..." He said, sounding like he want sure that was the correct answer.

"Would come at least? Maybe all the food will make you hungry again!" You entreated. Al agreed after thinking for a second.

The three of you walked the thirteen blocks to the restaurant you had in mind. The inside was made to resemble a log cabin, and they served food from your home town in the Briggs mountains. It wasn't very crowded; not on a Tuesday night, so you got seated immediately. Ed seemed like the mounts and antlers on the wall, and it was warm and cozy, very unlike the temperature outside. You sat in silence until after you ordered.

"So you really didn't find anything?" You said, braking the silence.

"Nope. Not a thing." Ed replied frowning.

"Damn, that sucks." You uttered.

"Yeah, but we've been at it for two years. Were used to false leads." Ed stated.

"Ide be willing to help you get more leads..." You said quietly.

"Really?" Ed and Al said in unison. You smiled and nodded your head 'yes".

"Wow!" Al beamed. "You really helped us last time. I don't know if we would have ever found that information without your help."

"Oh, come on Al! She wasn't that helpful. The lead led nowhere!" Ed chimed in.

"If that's how you feel, Ed." You smirked.

Right after that, your food came. You and Ed had seconds, thirds, fourths...and kept on eating until you felt sick, which wasn't your brightest idea. But for some reason, you were looking at Edward. You liked his smile. You liked his happy eyes. You liked the way he looked at you, most of all...

After dinner, you wanted to go home, but the boys wouldn't let you walk by yourself. At first you were slightly annoyed that they didn't trust you could handle yourself, but you were grateful that they cared enough about you to make sure you got home safely. You were only five blocks from your house, but you were no less touched. Once you were safely inside, you put the left-overs in the fridge, and went strait to bed.

But as usual, you couldn't fall asleep. Normally, you would be thinking about alchemy, but tonight was different. Tonight, you were thinking about Edward.

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_Ok, hope you enjoyed! Next chapter comes out tomorrow!_


	5. Human Transmutation

_A/N: yay for chapter 5! This was originally two separate chapters, but I combined them because I thought that they were so similar (and short) you wouldn't be confused. Also, thanks for the sweet reviews. You made me feel special :D More to come! Hope you like it, and let me know what you think! :D_

* * *

Damn, why do I have to be so short! You whispered as you reached for a book on the top shelf. You were a good foot too short, and Ed and Al were in a hole other part of the library, so asking them for help was out of the question. You had asked them to help you conduct some research on from of medical alchemy they practice in Xing. There wasn't a real reason why, but after a few dead ends in the search for the philosopher stone, you decided you needed a breach, and this was a good option. When you finally were able to reach the book in mind (after stacking all the books on the bottom shelves to give you a boost), you ran back to Ed and Al.

"Hay! I found something that might help us." You said, lying on the floor. Chairs were overrated anyway...

"Yeah, and what's that?" Ed asked smugly.

"A children's book to leafing Alkahestery!" You smiled.

Ed and Al laughed, but gathered around you so that they could see as well.

"What the hell is this Dragon's pulse business?" Ed asked, taking the book from you and flipping some pages.

"Maybe if you would let me read it..." You replied, taking the book back, and sticking your tongue out at him.

"Why are we even looking at this? It's not like any of this information will help us get a philosopher stone." Ed sighed, sitting back at the table and eating a sandwich.

"Well, you never know, Brother." Al chimed in. "We might need to know this stuff somewhere down the line." Al always seemed to be the more rational and mature of the two.

"Thanks Al." You smiled.

"You two have fun. I'm going back to the hotel." Ed said as he grabbed his coat and walked away. You and Al waved goodbye to him, and tried to figure out what all this stuff meant.

"You know, it's hard to figure out what all this stuff means when neither of us actually practice alchahestory." You stated, slamming the book down on the ground in frustration. "I don't even know why I decided to study this crap anyway!" Al didn't say anything. "Everything Ok Al?"

"O-oh, yeah, everything's ok." He lied. He wanted to tell you something, but he was holding it back. "It's been a long morning. Why don't we go and catch up with Brother." Al replied, standing up. You nodded.

Snow covered the trees and rooftops all throughout Central, and you marbled at how pretty it was during the winter. Your (hair color) was pulled back in a low pony-tail, and your coat matched your (eye color) eyes. You smiled and laughed as you walked through the park to get to the hotel. It was a peaceful quiet, and you liked the sound of Al's armor as he walked beside you. When you finally reached the boy's hotel, you went strait up to Ed's room, and found him playing solitaire.

"So who's winning?" You asked, trying to be funny. You took of your coat and placed it on the coat tack in the corner.

"It's a one player game, dumbass." Ed grumbled, as he tried to focus on his game.

"let's play go fish." You suggested.

"That game is for babies. Let's play poker instead." Ed retorted, pulling some change out of his pocket.

"Al you in?" You asked before sitting down at the coffee at to get your hand. You also placed a few cens into the pile.

"I'm in, but only if brother doesn't cheat!" Al answered taking a seat at the head of the table.

Ed dealt the cards, and you tried to keep a good poker face on, but it became harder as the game went forward. Al was convinced that Ed was cheating, but you weren't sure until a card feel out his shirt sleeve by accident. You ended up winning by default because Al forfeited and Ed was disqualified. It was nearly time for you to go by the time the game was finished.

"See you tomorrow!" You smiled, buttoning your coat.

"Actually you won't." Ed said. "We've got orders to go back home for a little wile."

"Where's home, then?" You asked.

"Resembool" Al replied.

"Oh." You frowned. That was way out in the country. "How long will you be gone..."

"I'm not all that sure. Until we are told we can come back, I guess." Ed smiled.

Just like a few nights before, the boys walked you home. You were sad to here that they were leaving again, especially because they had only gotten back from their previous trip a week ago. When you reached your home, you wished them well, and said goodbye.

"Hi dear." The voice of Minikui greeted you as you entered.

You were puzzled. She wasn't supposed to be home for another few hours, and she was acting strange. "Your home early." You stated as you walked into the kitchen, taking an apple from the bowl as you passed.

"Sure am, dear." She replied, uninterested in conversation.

"You know what's strange?" You mused. "YOU NEVER CALL ME DEAR!" You spun around, and threw the knife you were using to cut your apple, but only hit the wall near her head.

"Damn perceptive." She said before morphing into someone else.

You charged at the creature, but it grabbed the knife lodged in the wall before you could get any closer. The nice thing about living with a woman who could supply half the military with arms was the fact that weapons were EVERYWHERE, so you only had to take a few steps, and you had a sword.

You swung your sword cleanly, and managed to slice it's (you didn't really know what it was. It looked like a gender less palm tree to you.) side a good thee to four inches deep. But instead of crumpling to the ground in pain, it laughed, and healed itself. You cursed. What the...you thought as you side stepped to doge an attack. The creature growled at your reaction, and became even more angry with you. You ran at it, and in a furious range, you managed to impale the thing, right in the heart. Again, it was laughing and cursing you.

"You really don't know who what I am, do you?" It cried, as it healed itself again. "See, I'm a homunculus. Which means, I'm not exactly human. I'm practically immortal." It explained, as it took you by surprise, and slammed you to the ground, knocking the air right out of you. The word 'who' was the only word you managed to get our before you had a knife to your chest. "Who am I? I am called Envy." It exclaimed cruelly, as it put more pressure on the knife, and broke skin.

You kicked and thrashed, hoping to get it off of you, and managed to do just that when you kneed him in the stomach. But not without a wound across your chest. The cut itself wasn't as bad as it felt. You cursed, and then transmuted your sword into a lighter knife. Maybe she had a point when she said I need better aim...you said to yourself quietly as you threw the knife and the wall instead of the target. You were now unarmed and terrified. Envy came at you, and the next thing you knew, you were being strangled against the wall. Envy's hands held tight to your neck, refusing to let get air. Your lungs were burning when you noticed the sliver shine of a knife near struggled to get a hold on it, but when you did, you quickly pulled it out of the wall, and stabbed Envy in the neck. He dropped to the floor, and seemed dead for a second. But only a second. He started laughing his crewel laugh again, and wile you were still catching your breath, Envy took the opera unity to attack. His next attacks came quick, and packed a punch, and you couldn't do anything to protect yourself.

As you were laying face down on the ground, blood coming from almost every part of your body, you heard the door open. You turned your head to see the real Minikui. You were reaching out to her, but then black spots covered your eyes, and you began falling into a dark abyss.

The grunts and sounds of metal hitting metal brought you out it, and you looked on to see Minikui and Envy fighting. You tried to stand up, but multiple broken (broken to pieces you assumed) ribs stopped you from doing so. You felt completely helpless. Envy seemed to be gaining the upper hand, and you started to panic. You scratched a transmutation circle quickly on the floor, and placed a hand on it. Envy was hit with hundreds of little splinters, but that didn't seem to slow him down at all.

"Someone's ready to play..." Envy said cruelly, moving in your direction. Out of instinct, you shielded your face, and transmuted more of the floor, but to no avail. "Your gonna have to do a hellova a lot better than that to kill me." He sneered.

"Take care of the old woman, Envy. I've got the little alchemist." Said an unfamiliar female voice. Out of the darkness of the house emerged a woman, with a sinister smile.

"You got it, lust!" Envy cried, as he defended himself against Minikui.

Suddenly, your right shoulder went numb with pain. You looked to see what had caused it, and saw two spear-like things going all the way through your shoulder. The woman laughed at your expression, and attempt to remove the spears, which were actually her fingers. She looked at you with a fake sense of sympathy, and ripped out the spears. You started seeing black again, and the last thing you remembered was an oraboris tattoo.

You woke up again, only this time, without the sounds of battle. Everything was eerily still. You were crawling over to the light switch when you felt a warm liquid under your hands. You looked up and saw the cold eyes of a dead person. Tears began to fall down your cheeks as you realized what this meant.

"Damn it all!" You yelled as loud as you could. I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...you cried as sat yourself up against the wall. You hoped that it was all just a dream, or that it was just a sick joke, but you knew it wasn't. Memories of the wise teacher and warm comforting smiles of a true mother filled your head as tears fell to the ground. All you could say was 'I'm sorry'. It was one in the morning, and completely dark with the exception of the light from the street streaming through the windows, and the small lamp in the corner of the room. You wiped your tears and decided that she wasn't going to stay dead.

Your were getting dizzy, you knew you needed to stop your bleeding. Using the wall as balance, you slowly made your way to the kitchen. You knew the room like the back of your hand, so find the items you had in mind was a piece of cake. You fumbled through the dimly lit kitchen, looking for the rubbing alcohol, and dish cloths. You were no parametric, but you did what you could to keep from dying. As much as you tried to avoid the need to use it, you pored the alcohol on the wounds on your arm. As the liquid dripped of your arm and into the floor, you clenched your hands into a tight fist, and tried to keep from screaming. You tied the dish cloths around your wounds, and sat on the floor for a wile, until you thought you had stopped bleeding. That's when you set to work.

You crawled up the stairs, minding your broken ribs as you ascended them. It was hard enough finding your chalk and notes when it was light, but now you on,y had the dim light of the moon to help you as you fumbled about your desk looking for chalk and your precious notes. "Found 'em!" You exclaimed as you laid a hand on the warn leather book, and the stick of chalk.

Once the complex transmutation circle was completed, it was nearly three am, and you were ready. After taking a quick look at your notes, you inhaled and exhaled deeply, before placing your hand on the circle to activate it.

A dark purple light filled the room, and little, black, shadow-like, hands began appearing on the outside circle. Then, in the middle of of the circle, a great big eye opened, and you suddenly found yourself in a white room. In front of you was a whitish form with a black aura. As you look at it, you began to see that it sort of resembled you.

This thing gave you a sinister smile before the same shadowy hands pulled you back into a gate. You tried to break free, but you couldn't, and before you knew it, you were inside the gate. All the knowledge of the world was being pored into your head, wile the little hands began deconstructing you. They had taken your left arm when you screamed and begged to be let go. Upon request, you were taken back to the whitish being.

"How was it?" It asked. The being's voice sounded like multiple voices combined. It seemed comforting, yet dangerous, and kind, but crewel. You weren't exactly sure what to think of this thing.

"Who are you?" You asked, dodging the question about the gate.

"I go by many names. You may call me Truth. You may call me God. I am the universe, I am all, and I am one, and I am also you." It said, seemingly happy that you had asked. "And this is what happens to people like you who think they can play god." It added, lacking the same tone of voice.

You looked at Truth with a confused look on your face, drawing another laugh from the being. "Do you not remember?" It chuckled. Then, you saw the once completely white thing gain a flesh left arm. "Equivalent exchange, am I correct?" You looked down at where your left arm would be, only to see air.

"Wait!-" You called as Truth sent you back to the material world.

You found yourself next to the transmutation circle. There was smoke and the smell of burning bodies and sulphur was making you nauseous. When you looked to see if your transmutation had worked, you let out a horrified scream at the creature you had resurrected. It didn't even look human. Before you could do anything else, you started to see those stupid back dots.

-a few days later-

You realized just how damn lucky you were when you learned that the Elric boys had decided to take a later train, and were stopping by to say goodbye before they left when they found you bleeding to death on the floor next to your failed human transmutation. You had lost way more blood than any human needed to lose, and the doctors weren't sure you were going to make it through the surgery. But lucky for you, Edward had the same blood type, and donated as much as he could to help you. You were asleep a for a few days but when you finally woke up, you thought you were back at the gate of truth (because hospitals are white), and started freaking out and hyperventilating.

"(Name)! (name)! It's ok, your at the hospital!" Edward soothed as he wrapped his arms around you trying to calm you down. You

"I'll go get the doctors and tell them your awake." Edward told you as he opened the door. You wanted him to stay, and tried to call him back to you, but you couldn't find your voice just yet. After a few minuets, two nurses and a doctor came to see how you were doing. You went to feel your left arm, and to your surprise, there was nothing but air.

"WHERE THE HELL IS MY LEFT ARM?!" You screamed, starting to freak out again. Ed jumped up to calm you down again, but you suddenly became very sleepy...

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_When I say that you suddenly became very sleepy, I mean you were sedated. Hope you like it! _

_**SORA XD **_


	6. Hospitals Suck

_A/N: Like the last chapter, this was originally two separate chapters that I combined. Anyway, thanks for reading, and it hope you like it! :D _

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It was Ed and Al who helped you through the first few days of being in the hospital. You were confused and didn't recall what had happened to your arm until a week after the accident. The questions from various military officers got annoying, you sometimes pretended to have a breakdown so that the doctors would make the men leave. You knew human transmutation was strictly forbidden, and if anyone found out that you attempted it, you would be in serious trouble.

You had been in the hospital for a total of ten days, and were sick of it. You hadn't walked or moved more than a few inches in all that time, and it was driving you crazy to be stuck in bed. Ed and Al had tried there best to keep you entertained, but you were ready to start moving, even if you still had your stitches, and were hopped up on pain killers. It was mid morning when you finally lost it, and decided to go for a walk.

You forgot your were injected for a moment, and got up too quickly. You got a head-rush ( a head rush is a sudden change in blood pressure that can result from many things, like standing up too quickly.) and fell to the ground. You cursed, and tried to stand up using the bed as support, but without a left arm, you fell back down. Damn it! You whispered, as you finally pulled yourself to your feet. You exhaled, and took a step, and stumbled a little, before almost falling into the night stand. Without your other arm, you were a little unbalanced, but you slowly got the hand of walking, as long as you went slow. So you decided to go faster, and felt your stitches pulling apart, and quickly decided that that wasn't a good idea.

Just as you were about to open the door, Ed opened it. He was talking to Al, and didn't realize you were standing right there, and ran right into you, causing you to fall to the ground with a thud. You winced in pain, and held your side, as you looked up at Ed who was followed by Al.

"Hi..." You laughed, scratching your head. You long (hair color) hair was wavy, and let down.

"(Name)! You Idiot, you aren't supposed to walking yet!" Ed screamed at you, helping you up.

"...but I felt better..." You argued. "And it's been ten days. I'm fine,"

"You do remembered that you almost bled to death, have two broken ribs, multi pal stitches, and oh yeah, YOU LOST YOUR LEFT ARM!" He yelled, walking you to your bed. "You could have died, damn it!"

You frowned, and sat at the edge of the bed. You didn't know what to say. Ed had a point.

"It's ok Ed. She must have been getting frustrated being stuck in bed all this time." Al mentioned. Ed sighed frustratedly as he took a seat in the chair in the corner of the room.

"Yeah, but she should still take it easy for a wile longer." Ed said. You rolled your eyes. You were tired of taking it easy. You had spent ten hole days taking it easy, and now you were ready to go.

"Alright, but I'm not sure how much longer I can stay here before I go crazy." You replied, propping yourself up with a few pillows. "I can't believe it's actually gone. How am I going to do alchemy now?" You said with a suddenly serious tone.

Ed and Al looked at each other and nodded.

"You know there's this thing called Automail...and I know a great engineer" Ed stated, ruling up the his sleeve and showing you his automail arm. You looked at him surprised. "What?" He added, a grumpy frown on his face.

"You...never told me your arm was made of automail." You stuttered.

"I was afraid of what you would think." He answered, blushing a little.

"What happened to your real arm?" You asked, leaning forward.

"Same way you lost yours. Human transmutation." He whispered.

Your eyes grew wide and you sighed. "So about this automail engineer..." You asked, changing the subject.

"She makes the best automail in the world!" Ed exclaimed, showing his arm proudly. "And she lives in Resembool so you can come with us!" Ed smiled. "But only when your healthy enough to travel."

You felt the space where your arm would be, and sighed. "How much longer do I have to stay here?" You wined.

The door to your room swung open, and in walked one of those awful doctors. You frowned and folded your...arm...across your chest.

"Maybe if you SAT STILL" The doctor exclaimed as he pinned your shoulders down to make you stop moving. "YOU'DE be able to leave sooner." He growled as he changed the bandages and checked your stitches.

"When you get released, we'll go to Resembool. But until then, you need to just rest and get better." Ed smiled as he and Al made there way to the door. "We'll see you later, OK?" And with that Ed and Al left.

-a few days later-

"Your wounds are healing properly, so it shouldn't be long before you can go." said the doctor as he was changing your bandages again. As much as it pained you to hear that you couldn't go yet, you were ok with waiting a little longer, because you were now allowed to walk around with supervision. It was almost dark, and the boy's still hadn't come to see you yet. Actually, they hadn't come to see you for a few days, and you were getting lonely!

You slowly walked to the door (you still had a few wounds that weren't completely closed just yet) and opened it to see if anyone was there, and to your surprise, the hallway was completely silent. The white tiled floor was cold on your bare feet as you walked past all the other rooms filled with ailing people. Once you reached the end of the long hallway, you pressed the stainless steel button with an 'up' arrow on it. When the elevator arrived, you stepped in, and pressed the lobby button. There were two other people in the elevator with you. One was a blonde girl, and small blond boy in a wheelchair...

"Ed?" You asked, turing to the boy in the wheelchair.

"(name)?" He asked.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO END UP IN THE HOSPITAL!?" You screamed, waving your arm around.

"Long story..." He answered laughing lightly, and looking at the blonde girl, who was giving him a look.

"Ed, who is this?" The girl asked, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm Winry, Ed's mechanic." She answered with a slightly angry tone not directed towards you.

"This is my mechanic, the one I was telling you about?" Ed replied holding his side. You noticed his automail arm was missing.

"OH!" You exclaimed, remembering. She grew up with Ed and Al, and made Ed's automail for him. "So your the famous Winry! You know, Ed really likes your automail."

"Oh does he now." She said smugly. "ED! If you like my automail so much, why do you break it all the time?!" She screamed. Ed only chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

"Damn, I got to go." You said when you heard your name being called on the PA.

"Come to my room later and maybe we can talk Winry into making you some automail." Ed waved as you hurried off the elevator and to your room.

When you reached your room, you were given a big long speech about how you weren't supposed to leave your room without permission, and blah blah blah...you didn't listen to a word they said. You knew the game, and pretended to be sorry and promised to be carful, but once it was late, and you knew they weren't coming to check on you, you scampered up to Ed's room. You knocked on the door, and slipped in. Winry was lecturing Ed about taking better care of his automail, and she gave you the death look when you interrupted.

"Umm, should I come back later...?" You asked, sticking near the door.

"No, no, your fine. You name was (name) wasn't it?" Winry asked, putting her wrench into a tool box.

"Ah, yeah." You replied, walking uncomfortably to a chair. "Hay, where's Al?" Y Ed shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. You frowned. How can someone loose a suit of armor...

"Anyway, Edward was telling me that you were interested in being outfitted with some automail?" Winry interrupted. You nodded happily. "Well, I would be happy to make you some. But the recovery time for the procedure is typically a number of years." She said imperatively.

"Years?" You uttered in disbelief. You thought it would take far less time. Winry nodded almost sadly. "I'm in." You stated confidently. Winry's crystal blue eyes lit up and she smiled happily.

"You won't be disappointed!" She assured you enthusiastically. "As soon as you get discharged, you, Ed, and Al, are coming to Resembool and I'll hook you up some of the world's best automail!" She beamed.

"How does that sound, Ed?" You asked, but you found that he was sound. "Thanks Winry."

You stealthily slipped back into your room before anyone could notice you were gone. The next few days you spent chatting with Ed and Winry, and Al a little, too. But he seemed colder than usual, and you later found out that he and Ed were in a very big argument. You spent a large portion of the day sneaking around the hospital, pissing off hospital staff, and being a kid for a wile.

By the time you were finally discharged after a little over a month in the hospital, it was safe to say that your doctors was happy to see you go. Ed and Al were released a few days before you were, so you were all going to go to Resembool together. The boys' orders were still to stay in the town until otherwise notified. As eager as you were to start feeling normal-ish again, you were scared about getting automail. You didn't want to feel any less human, or be treated different just because your arm wasn't flesh and bone.

A day after getting discharged from the hospital, you, Ed, Al, and Winry were standing on the platform waiting for a train. Ed and Winry were arguing about something. Again. They bicker like an old married couple. You said to yourself. As you got to know Winry better, you noticed how she tended to act like a mother, or older sister to the boys. As she got to know you, though, she realized how alike you and Ed were, much to her dismay.

The train finally pulled in almost an hour late, crowded with crying children, sick people, loud people, people that wouldn't stop kicking the back of your seat, The seats were uncomfortable, too. It was easily the worst travel experience. To make the ride just that much worse, it was raining, and that caused your stub to ache. About halfway through the ride, you got up to stretch, when some little kid pushed you over. Your broken ribs hadn't healed completely yet, so when you hit the ground, shocks of excruciating pain settled in your chest. You cursed, and spit a little blood.

"(Name)! Are you ok?" Ed asked quickly as he rushed over to you. You were lying on you back, not completely ready to get up yet.

"Yeah...I'm...fine" you grumbled, holding the place of the broken rib. "Damn kid!" You yell, attracting the attention of the boy's mother.

"Mommy, the alien said a bad word..." The child wined, pointing his chubby finger at you wile Ed was helping you sit up. His eyes were filled with worry as you spit another mouthful of blood. Your eyes were filled with fury as you battled the urge to destroy the child for his choice of words.

"Look...kid." You breathed, forgetting the pain in your chest. "Just because someone doesn't look the same as you, doesn't mean that they are an alien." You explained, taking a few deep breaths, before asking Ed to just sit down on the floor with you.

"You don't talk to my son like that!" The woman chimed in. You honestly didn't know what you had said to upset her so much.

"Look here, Lady." Ed said, interrupting the woman mid-sentence. "She's just mad because your kid pushed her down, and she's got two broken ribs." Ed explained with a slight annoyance in his voice.

"This is the real world. He's gonna here someone curse eventually." You added, exhaling deeply. With that, the woman grabbed her kid and left the car. You didn't know where she went, but you honestly didn't care. "Some people, ha? You laughed lightly.

"Your sure you're ok?" Ed asked, standing up. You nodded your head yes, and he held out a hand to help you up. "Which arm did you have that bracelet on?" He asked out of the blue.

"Um, the left, why?" You asked, a little confused about why we would ask such a random question.

"I-I just..." Ed stuttered, blushing and running a hand over his braid.

"Just what Ed?" You asked impatiently.

"No, it was nothing. Just forget about it." He said quickly. You looked at him funny, but decided that if he didn't just want to say it, it wasn't important.

You finally reached Resembool at sunset, after a long day of traveling. It didn't surprise you much that you had to walk four miles to get to Winry's house form the train station. It was just your luck. When you reached the Rockbell home, you were introduced to Winry's grandmother, Pinako. She welcomed you like family, and was excited to here that the boys would be staying for a wile. At dinner, you learned about how the Rockbells and Elrics were so close, and other details like that. You felt like you learned more about the boys in that one night than you did over the past three-ish months that you had known them. After dinner, a few Ed vs Winry moments, and some desert, you fell asleep on the couch.

* * *

_Can an author take a snow day? Lol. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. I'm trying to build up the Ed X READER part, which I neglected to remember wile writing these chapters. So to compensate, the chapter is going to be cute. I just have to remember to keep it going! But I just get bored with super mushy lovey dovey stuff. So meh. Hoped you liked it!_

_**SORA XD **_


	7. Merry Christmas!

_Thank you all for your continued support. It makes it easier to write when I know someone else is enjoying it! Anyway, this is a throw-away chapter, but it's cute, and with Christmas and stuff, I decided that I should do a little writing about that. Hope you like it! A real chapter can be expected Friday._

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It was Christmas Eve, and your second month of automail recovery. You were lying on the couch in the family room, wile Winry gave your automail a tune up. Ed had disappeared because he knew he hadn't been taking care of his, and Winry would NOT be happy to see that some of the screws were missing and loose. All you wanted to do was play in the fresh snow, but The machine geek was too absorbed in her work to notice your boredom. She was blabbing about something you didn't care about, when you finally gave up.

"How much longer are you gonna take?" You wined. "I want to go play in the snow!"

"Why would you want to do that? Snow is so cold and wet! And besides, you might get frost bite were your automail touches your flesh." She replied, tightening some more screws.

You were silent for a second. "But Ed went outside! Why can't I?" You protested as you saw Ed and Al throwing snowballs at each other.

"Ed? that idiot! His automail isn't meant for the cold!" Winry screamed, as she sprang up, and rushed to the door to go and throw her wrench at Ed. You took the opportunity to escape.

You quickly pulled on your coat, hat and gloves, and slipped out the back door. Your breath made little clouds as you exhaled. You bent down to the snow and tried to form a snowball, but your fingers wouldn't cooperate, and it just fell apart. You growled with frustration, and tried again, only to get the same result. After a few more tried, you just took a handful of snow and prepared to ambush your friends. You slipped to the front if the house where the boys and Winry were, and prepared your attack. You threw your handful of snow, and to your surprise, you actually hit someone!

"Who threw that!" Winry asked, dusting the snow out of her hair in an angry rage. You, Ed, and Al just shook your heads and pretended not to know who did it. "WELL ONE OF YOU HAD TO DO IT!" She screamed.

"I didn't do it." Ed said calmly, sticking his hands into his pockets and avoiding her gaze.

"Well, I didn't do it either." Al stated.

"What about you, (name)? Are you gonna say you didn't do it either? because it makes sense that I would just throw a snowball at may self, right?" Winry asked aggregated.

"Yeah." You replied, just to piss her off.

"WELL, WHOEVER DID IT BETTER NOT DO IT AGAIN OR ILL THOW MY WRENCH AT THEM!" She yelled before disappearing back inside the house. Once she was gone, the three of you snickered and hi-fived.

You gave a sly smile before dropping to the ground and making one of your messy snowballs. You aimed right at Ed, because it wouldn't affect Al. Ed cursed, and made a snowball of his own, and threw it strait at your face. It hurt, but because is was nothing more than frozen water, it didn't hurt too bad. You quickly made another, and the two of you began your own snowball fight. Al joined in too, but hitting him wasn't as much fun because he couldn't feel it. The fight lasted for at least an hour, and by the end of it, every part of your body was numb. The three of you were laying in the snow, making snow angles.

"Ed!? Help me in the kitchen, would you?" Pinako yelled from the front door.

"Coming!" He yelled running back to the house. You and Al were silent for a minuet.

"Does Ed even know how to cook?" You asked.

"No!' Al relied, snickering and laughing. You joined him.

You and Al stayed out for another half hour, but you were cold and wet, and decided to go in. Once inside you pealed off your coat, and sopping wet and gloves, and placed them by the fire. Ed, Winry, Al, and Pinako were arguing about something in the kitchen, and you took the chance to go up to your room and wrap a last-Minuit gift for Ed.

You had the wrapping paper, bows, tape, and years of experience in the art of Christmas present wrapping, but even still, you wrapped like a three year old. You weren't able to control your automail like a normal appendage yet, so you hoped that Ed would understand that you didn't mean for it look like crap. You looked at the poorly wrapped package, and frowned. You were about to ask Winry for help, but then she would find out that you might have a little bitty crush on a certain state alchemist.

"(Name)!" Ed called, knocking on your door. "Are you in there?"

Your face became a deep red, and you frantically hid the package wherever you could. "Yeah, something wrong?" You answered, opening the door. You cheeks were still a bit pink.

"No, dinner's ready." He replied, giving you a weird look. Maybe he saw you blushing... "Is-is something wrong?" he asked, looking you right in the eyes.

_Oh Ed, why do you have to look at me like that... _"I'm Ok." you lied. "I'll be down in a minuet." Ed didn't buy it, but went back downstairs.

You came down a few minuets later, and were greeted by the lovely smells of Christmas Eve dinner. The table was set beautifully, and everything looked so good...you quickly took your seat directly across from Ed. You did your best to keep from blushing whenever he looked at you, but every now and then your cheeks turned a very light pink, but you noticed that he was blushing a little too. Winry made your plate for you, and when everyone (except Al) had food, you were allowed to eat.

"This is...delicious..." You said sarcastically, spitting out food into a napkin.

"Why are the mashed potatoes...crunchy?" Winry asked, taking a spoonful of the mashed potatoes, and looking at it closely.

"How did the food come out so bad?" Pinako questioned.

"I left out all the milk." Ed replied simply, digging into the food.

"YOU WHAT!?" Winry screamed, slamming her fist on the table.

"Milk is gross, and Pinako asked me to help cook so..." Ed explained calmly.

"ED YOU IDIOT! YOU RUINED CHRISTMAS DINNER!" She shouted, pulling out her hair.

"WELL MAYBE IF SOMEONE DIDNT ASK ME TO HELP COOK THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED!" Ed shot back.

"EVERYBODY CALM DOWN!" You and Al shouted in unison. "We can just order out." You added once the fighting stopped.

"What do you mean 'order out'?" Ed asked.

"I mean, we call up some restaurant and have them make us food, then go and pick it up." You explained. Everybody seemed to have lightbulb turn on, and nodded and mumbled about how that was a smart idea.

"I'll call the Xingese restaurant and see if they would do that." Pinako said, and went to call the place. She was gone for a few minuets, and when she returned, she had a big smile on her face. "Ed, you go and pick it up."

"Can (name) come too?" He asked simply. You were confused as to why he would pick you to tag along instead of his brother.

"I suppose." Pinako sighed, disappearing into the kitchen.

You quickly ran up to your room to get a coat, and almost forgot about Ed's gift. You slipped it into one of the pockets, and continued getting ready to go out in snow. When you were dressed appropriately, you met Ed at the door, and the two of you started the walk to the Xingese restaurant, about two miles from the house. That was the only drawback about living in the country. Everything was so far away!

The night was frosty, and snowflakes were getting stuck in your hair and on your face. Your breath made little clouds, and your cheeks were pink. Your boots made crunching sounds in the foot of snow, and the wind was trying to steal your hat. Ed didn't seem bothered, but he did look like he wanted to say something.

"Are you Ok, Ed?" You asked, stopping.

"Yes." He answered. You frowned. You knew he wasn't ok.

"You're lying." You said, looking at the ground.

"No, I'm not. I'm fine. Now would you stop bugging me?" He said angrily, and mumbling something under his breath.

"Here." You stated, as you handed him his present. Ed looked at you for a second, and then tore off the paper. He took the small box in his hand, and opened it, revealing a rectangular piece of stainless steal. Ed looked confused. "If you don't like it, I can always get you something else..." You stuttered.

"I like it." He replied. He clapped his hands together, and touched the metal. Blue lights and sounds signaled a transmutation. "Now I love it." He replied, showing you the same piece of metal. You were now confused. Ed came in closer, and showed you the metal. It now had your name engraved in the center.

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_I'm sooooooo sorry that this took this long. Christmas and holidays and family and snow and UGGGGGG. SORRY. I hope you don't hate me. Next chapter by Friday. I SWEAR!_


	8. Beasts of Dublith

_Yay for Chapter 10! I hope you like it! This chapter is supposed to work with the last episode in season 1 of Brotherhood (beasts of Dublith) so it may/may not contain spoilers._

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"I can't believe I've been a state alchemist for a year now." You mentioned casually to Ed.

"Keep in mind that you did spend most if that time in Resembool for automail recovery." He replied, pointing to your left arm.

You frowned. "You think I don't remember? And what about you? How many times did Winry have to come out to service you because you broke yours doing something stupid?" You retorted with a grin on your face.

"Dammit, you were doing stupid things too!" Ed wined.

"You two stop arguing!" Winry interrupted. she was caring her packed bags down the stairs when she overheard your argument. "You both do stupid things with your automailm and I would know because I'm always the one who has to fix it!" You and Ed looked at each other, and decided that she was correct, and dropped the subject. Mrs. Izumi's kitchen went quiet for a wile. "Well, I had better get going." Winry stated picking the tool box up from the counter top.

"When does your train leave?" Ed asked, leaning back in his chair. "Me, Al, and (Name) where thinking about going out later, and we wanted to know if you would like to come." Ed explained.

"My train leaves at two, and as much as I would love to come along, I can't miss this train. The next one won't come from three days, and Granny was expecting me back yesterday." Winry replied sadly.

You frowned. "Well that's too bad."

"Yeah." Ed agreed.

"Don't be too sad. I'm sure you'll be seeing me when you break you automail within the month." She said smugly. You laughed dryly because you knew it was probably true.

A few hours later, You, Ed and Al walked Winry the train station, and stayed with her wile she waited for her train arrived. She gave you and Ed a long speech about how to take care of your automail and how much trouble you were going to be in if you broke it again. You honestly didn't know what the big was, seeing as you had only broken your automail three times in about a year. Maybe it was why your automail got broken in the first place? Regardless, you noted her advice, and said goodbye as she boarded her train. You wouldn't say you and Winry were 'sister close' but you did believe you were very close friends, seeing as you had spent some fourteen months at her house for decided she had other plans when Al mentioned that you three were going out for something to eat.

"You're doing what?" Izumi mused when Al mentioned your plans.

"We're just gonna go walk around..." Ed defended.

"What's the point of that?" She quizzed, folding her arms across her chest.

"Well..." Al tried to explain, but was cut off by Izumi.

"No, your going to stay here, and be productive." She decided. Not giving anyone time to protest, she assigned jobs. "Ed, help Sig with whatever he sees fit. Alphonse, take this broom and sweep the street. (Name), you are going to help me in the house. NOW!" Without any other argument, the three of you you went off to work.

Cleaning was the bane of your existence. Izumi's house was picked up, but you never would have guessed that it was as dirty as it was. you planned in doing your normal cleaning method of brushing the crumbs under the rug, but that didn't fly with Izumi. After hours of cleaning, you were finally done, or at least that's what you thought. She then told you that you were going to help prepare dinner. You didn't mind cooking, but right now, all you wanted to do was take a nap. Wile Izumi was prepping the main dish (meat) you were putting together the side dishes. you worked in silence until Izumi asked you About how you had met the boys.

"I met them through the military..." You answered quietly, thinking back to that day in the colonel's office, and the library.

"It's sick that the military takes children like you and Ed and turns them into soldiers." She growled, thrusting her knife into the wooden cutting board.

"No, it's ok. It was my choice to become a soldier!" You explained frantically, hoping to calm her down.

She sighed. "So I take it that you are a state alchemist as well?"

"Yes ma'm." You replied with a small smile on your face. Izumi smiled a little too, and then your conversation just stopped. You didn't know why, but no further words were exchanged until she released you to go and do whatever you wanted.

You walked outside into the cool december afternoon. Al was supposed to be out here sweeping the street, but for some strange reason, he wasn't. where is he you whispered, before running into the shop where Ed and Sig were.

"Hay, Ed?" You called, poking your head into the shop door.

"What do you what, (name)?" Ed said gruffly.

"Where's Al?" You asked with a hint of worry in your voice.

"Is he not out there sweeping the street?" He replied. You shook your head 'no'. "Dammit!" Ed said, pounding a fist into the table.

"Does that mean he's missing?" You asked. It was a stupid question, but maybe Ed knew here he had went?

"Of corse he's missing, dumbass!" Ed replied bitterly. "Come on, we have to find him." You nodded, and followed Ed out the door.

Outside on the street, you found the broom Al was using to sweep. You looked around, and thought you saw something moving in the shadows, and pulled on Ed's coat to get his attention. Ed looked over in your direction, and caught a serpent tail disappearing into a dark ally. He pushed you behind him, and held the broom, prepared to fight._ I did know that you were that much taller than me..._you thought as Ed started talking to the creature who claimed he knew where Al was. The next thing you knew, you and Ed were a bar called the 'The Devils Nest'. You walked in, and the smell of smoke and alcohol caused you gag. Following Ed's lead, you suddenly found yourself in the middle of a gang's hang out. In the corner of the room, you saw Al.

"Al!" You screamed, holding yourself back from running over to see if he was Ok.

"(Name) I want you to follow them! and make sure nothing happens to Al." Ed whispered to you.

"No, I'm not gonna leave you!" You whispered back.

"I'm not gonna ask again, dammit! Just make sure my little brother doesn't get hurt!" He whispered a little louder and angrier.

"Fine! But don't kill yourself ok?" You finally agreed.

No further words were exchanged, and you disappeared into a dark hallway on your pursuit to make sure Al would be ok. You were sprinting to catch up with the cameras that were dropping Al off, but tripped, and went flying into the ground. As you were scrambling to get up, you heard a roar, and looked behind you to see a lion camera hot on your trail. _Dammit_ you thought as you kicked it into gear, and started running again. You saw Al turn a corner, and an idea came to your mind. After slipping around the corner, you clapped your hands together and created a wall, stopping the camera from catching you. You breathed a sigh of relief, and brushed off some dust as you stood up and followed Al again.

Your relief was short lived, as right in front of you, an explosion went off, sending you back a few feet. You were still dazed when your new opponent surprised you, and pinned you to the ground. You struggled to break free, but when you realized that he was too strong, you clapped your hands, and caused a block of ground to slam into his side, knocking him off of you, and sending him crashing into a wall. Enraged, the man pulled out his knifes, and started running back towards you. That was too close you thought as you narrowly escaped having your throat slit. As you side stepped to avoid a move, pain filled the right side of your face. Your opponent was observant, and far stronger than you. Taking advantage of the awkward position you were now in, he threw off your center of balance, and made contact with your right arm. If I can just break that circle on his glove...you thought as you clapped your hands and transformed the floor into a wall to block an explosion. You then clapped again, and transformed your Automail arm, into a hand sword (a trick you learned for Ed). Your opponent was preparing for his attack, but you were too quick, and in a swift motion, you sliced the transmutation circle imprinted in his glove. Your opponent was shocked, so you took advantage of this, and overpowered him. Blood was dripping from the gash on your right cheek and arm as you brought your weapon to the man's neck. Right at that moment, Ed burst into the room. He was panting, and told you to follow him. You nodded, and followed right behind him, dropping the man as you sprang to follow Ed. You didn't care of he would still come after you.

"What happened back there?" You asked between breaths. Suddenly, Ed collapsed on the ground, holding his right side."ED!" You screamed, as you fell to his side and tried to see what was wrong. His hands were covered in blood.

"I'm fine. We need to get Al." He stated, using you as support to stand up.

"But your hurt..."

"DONT WORRY ABOUT ME! WE NEED TO GET AL!" Ed yelled. You were still in the ground when he started running, and you had to sprint to catch up with him.

Ed threw open the door to a sewer, and you spotted Al. "AL! ARE YOU OK!" You yelled, running over to him. He didn't answer. "AL!?"

"He's Ok. Just un conscience." Ed said reassuringly. You frowned, and hoped he was right.

-Le time skip-

"Even if you didn't find a way to get your body's back, I'm just glad you're ok, Al." You said as you walked outside with a bucket of water to help Ed clean Al's armor. Al had just regained his memories about seeing the truth. "You sure you don't want me to look at your wounds? You may need stitches...' You trailed off when you saw the look on Ed's face.

"You're just like Winry, always worry about me." Ed retorted. You frowned.

"Ed, she's only trying to help." Al added. Ed just rolled his eyes.

"Yeah Ed! Come on! You don't want to get an infection, and have to stay in the hospital for weeks." You mentioned, taking the dirty water from Ed's bucket and dumping it out in the bushes.

Ed sighed. "Fine, after dinner I'll let you look."

Like promised, Ed let you have a look at his wounds after you helped clean up dinner. You told him to have a seat on the counter. He looked at you like you were crazy, but did was you said regardless. You ran the cupboard and grabbed the first aid things. When you came back into the kitchen, you almost dropped all the things you were carrying. Ed had his shirt off, and your cheeks were bright red, and there was no hiding it this time. _God your beautiful_ you thought as you examined the wounds to his chest. your heart was beating faster and faster, and you felt butterflies in your stomach. His cuts weren't good, but they also weren't bleeding, so you assumed that stitches wouldn't do much of anything. You took some hydrogen peroxide (a chemical commonly used to disinfect open wounds) and pored it onto a cloth. "This is probably going to sting..." You informed as you pressed the cloth onto the wounds. Ed groaned a little, but more from the cold cloth touching his skin than actual pain. When you took it off, you showed Ed the dirt that came out of his wound. "That would have totally gotten infected." You laughed, as you continued cleaning his wounds. When you were finished, you put some bandages over them.

"All done?" Ed asked, hopping down from the counter top.

"Yeah." You replied, putting the medical supplies back in the box. You were still blushing, but most of your face had gone back to its normal color.

"T-thanks." Ed stuttered, like "thanks" may not have been the proper answer.

"No need to thank me...I wanted to help, didn't I?" You smiled, closing the white box.

He tugged his shirt back on, and you almost wanted to cry that such a gorgeous body was going to be hidden under a shirt again. "Is something wrong?" He asked when he saw the teary look in your eyes.

"Oh, nothing." You smirked, wanting to laugh at how oblivious he was.

_How have you not figured out that I like you yet!?_


	9. Nightmares

_Hi! I cant really believe how long this took me, and it's not 100% done. I just decided to post it because it was about 87% done. Lol, hope you like it, and more is coming._

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"Think she'll be excited when she figures out where we're taking her?" Ed asked his brother, looking at you as you slept on the next seat over.

Al thought for a second, and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know Brother."

"How long do you think she's been alone?" Ed mused, looked out the window now.

"Mustang told me that her mother disappeared when she was five, and that her brother died when she was roughly six." Al replied sadly.

Ed frowned. "I can't even imagine how hard that must have been. I mean, at least I have you, so I'm not totally alone, but (name).. "

The boys went silent for a moment, thinking about how hard your life must have been growing up.

"Where's she from anyway?" Al asked, breaking the silence. He glanced over at your sleeping body. You were lying on the bench halfway between between the fetal position, and just strait up lying on your back. Your right arm was dangling off the edge, wile the other was acting like a pillow. But the expression on your face may have indicated that you were having a bad dream.

"Some small town in the Briggs mountains." Ed answered. "Near the fort, I'm guessing, because she said that the soldiers often gave them supplies." Ed studied you, and sighed sadly. "What is she dreaming about?"

"Looks like a nightmare to me..." Alphonse started, but trailed off when he saw Edward standing over you. "Brother! Don't wake her up!" He whispered harshly.

"Calm down, Al. I wasn't gonna-" Ed whispered, but was cut of when the train hit something on the tracks, which caused him to come crashing into you.

You were jerked awake from your nightmare by the force of Ed landing right on your chest. With your vision still adjusting to being awake, you looked around quickly, and felt your hair. Blinking away the blurry clouds that obstructed your vision, you saw Ed sitting on the floor right next to, blushing and looking guilty.

"What the hell-" You said quietly, scratching the back of your head, and pulling yourself into a seated position.

"Are you OK!?" Ed asked frantically waving his hands around nervously.

"Y-Yeah, I think" You muttered. "What the hell just happened?" You yawned, stretching your arms out as far as they could go.

"Ummm, nothing!" Ed lied , pulling himself to his feet, and walking back over to Al.

"Mkay." You replied. You were still half asleep, and didn't detect the lie.

After things settled back down, and you were finally awake enough to have a conversation, Ed succumbed to his curiosity, and asked you what you were dreaming about before he woke you up.

"So, what was that dream about?" Ed asked quietly. His eyes had a curious glint.

"I-I don't want to talk about it..." You answered quietly.

Ed and Al looked at you. Ed opened his mouth to say something, but Al put a hand up to stop him from saying anything. You were looking down at your hands, trying to hide the teary look in your eyes. You were glad that your hair was long, so it covered most of your face when you looked down. You thought you heard Ed say your name quietly, as if trying to comfort you.

"(name) we can't help unless you tell us what's wrong." Al stated gently, placing a cold hand on your shoulder.

"I don't want to talk about it!" You said frustratedly.

"We want to help-" Al was saying before you pushed his hand away and started running. "WAIT!"

You threw open the door in the front of of the car, and were jumping the coupling when you saw Ed and Al starting to come after you. You knew that you would eventually have to tell them about your frequent nightmares about truth and the Homunculi, but you didn't want to burden them with your problems. They had enough problems on their own. You were thinking about all of this as you ran up and down isles and jumped couplings in your attempt to escape the boys. You had put about a hole car of distance between you and the boys, and were just about to jump to another when you noticed a small closet. You dove headlong into the little room, and slammed the door shut before the boys even got on the car.

It was dark as night inside the closet. You held your had a few inches from your face, and you couldn't see it. It was also eerily quiet. The only thing you could here was your heart beat, and your breathing. For some strange reason, you felt like you were falling.

The darkness around you suddenly became a blinding white. You shielded your eyes, and caught sight of Truth. It was reaching out for you, a sinister smile spreading a cross it's face as you pulled away. Wile you were running from it, You tripped, and the scene turned to the night Envy attacked you. Envy had pinned you down, and you were battering unconsciousness. Black spots covered your vision, and all of a sudden, everything seemed peaceful. You were back in the Briggs mountains, much younger, and chasing your older brother by the frozen creek. Ice skates were draped over your arm, and when you stopped at a snow covered rock, you sat down, and tied them to your feet. Your brother was teasing you about being scared, so to prove him wrong, skated out. Once on the ice, you heard cracking and found yourself under the water, the light getting farther and farther away. The voice of your brother called down to you, but something was keeping you from swimming back up to him. As you fell deeper and deeper, you realized that you were falling into nothing but a dark abyss. On top of your brother's voice, came the taunts and insults of Truth, and Envy. The light grew dimmer and dimmer, until it seemed like a star in the night sky. Slowly, you realized that it was a star, and that you were no longer falling into nothing. You were lying in soft grass, gaining up at the single star, that was now shooting across the sky. You felt something warm gripping your right hand, and rolled your head that way to see a mess of fine blonde hair, and a pair of beautiful golden eyes gazing at you.

You woke wide-eyed, and gasping for air. You weren't sure if it was nightmare, or just a regular dream. Parts were scary, but others weren't, and you wondered what it all meant. Being a scientist, you assumed that your subconscious mind was portraying events that caused you a great deal of physical or emotional pain, but you had never fallen through the ice wile ice skating. You didn't understand why you were portrayed as a child either. However, the presence of Truth and Envy made sense, because they were both figures from an extremely traumatic event, but why was Ed there?_ Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way.._.you said quietly, positioning yourself with you back to the door, and began to think harder, but no madder how you looked at it, your dream/nightmare made no sense. _It's a dream. They aren't supposed to mean anything. It's just my subconscious mind trying to connect dots using bits of memories or making stuff up. I just need to forget about it... _You told yourself as you rested your head in the corner of the closet. You stayed like this for a wile, before someone began knocking on the door.

"(name)? You in there?" Ed asked, banging on the door. His tone surprised you. He almost sounded like he was concerned.

"No-" You answered, face palming when you realized what you had said. _Come on (name)! Your so stupid!_

Ed was face palming on the other side of the door as well. "Open up!"

You though for a moment. _I've been hiding in this closet for gosh knows how long. Ed's probably going to just laugh at me, but he did sound pretty concerned...oh to hell with it. If he laughed at me, so be it._ You moved out of the way of the door, and Ed fell flat in his face, because he didn't know you would move right as he was turning the knob. You snickered, and made room for him to sit next to you.

"Sorry about earlier..." Ed muttered, slowly taking a seat in the floor next to you.

"I overreacted." You sighed, pulling your long (hair color) hair behind your ears. "You don't need to apologize."

"No." He said firmly, looking you strait in the eyes. "Al and I shouldn't have pushed for an answer. It just looked like something was wrong, that's all, and we wanted to help make it better." Ed explained quietly.

"Well, talking things out isn't gonna make me better..." You mumbled under your breath wile stretching your arms out above your head. Ed rested his head on his knees and sighed deeply. "What?"

"Just thinking about Winry." He replied. You frowned. _How oblivious Are you?! Dint you know that I love you? Or are you just trying to play with me?_ You thought. You prepared yourself to hear a heartfelt confession of his love for Winry, but to your surprise, he only smiled, and looked at You. "Now I know how she feels when I don't tell her things."

Your mouth hung open slightly, wile you searched for the right words to say. But before you found them, Ed stood up.

"Well, do you want to go back to your seat or what. You've been hiding here for almost three hours, and it think our stop is coming up soon." You nodded, and stood back up, and followed Ed back to your seat.

It took a little longer to get back there than you thought. The closet you were hiding in was almost at the front of the train, and your seat was almost the very last car. As you were walking down the isles, you noticed that there were more people than before. You asked Ed where you were going, but he pretended to not here you, and continued walking. You finally reached your car, and sat down. You gazed at the trees and mountains flying by. You started thinking about your dream again. You didn't even know you had fallen asleep again until Ed was shaking you awake telling you that it was time to get up because this was your stop.

"Come on! This is our stop!" Ed yelled as he shook you around trying to wake you up. "Damn, how can someone sleep this much?"

You groaned and pulled yourself up. "What's the rush?" You mumbled, wiping some drool from the side of your face.

"The rush is that we need to get off this train before it leaves for the next stop!" Ed shouted. You didn't seem to get the message that time was running out, so Ed grabbed your hand and pulled you to the door. You had to push last lots of inconsiderate travelers before you reached the platform where Al was waiting with the bags. You were still trying to figure out what was going on, when Al pulled out a black blindfold, and tied it around your head.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?" You yelled as you waved your arms around.

"It's a surprise!" Al stated, steering you in the direction you needed to go to get out of the train station.

"Happy Birthday (name)!" Ed and Al sang in unison. A big smile spread across your face.

_I almost forgot It was my birthday. _you whispered to yourself as you felt Al's cold, metal hands guiding you.

You felt the warm rays of sun on your skin, and decided that you were now outside. Gulls were screeching, and you thought you heard the sounds of waves off in the distance. Slowly, your mind was building a scene, trying to figure out where the hell these boys had taken you this time. _I know were somewhere near the water, because I hear sea birds, and the waves crashing against the shore. _It was getting aggravating not knowing where you were, and not getting any strait answers from Ed and Al.

Suddenly, the ground beneath you got less solid, and you realized that you were on a boat. Al removed your blindfold, and you squinted against the bright sun. As your eyes adjusted, you realized what a beautiful place they had taken you too. The water was a magnificent blue, and the cloudless sky was filled with colorful kites and sea birds. Taken up in the beauty of the place, you were sent flying to the back when the boat started moving. Luckily, Ed was there to catch you.

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_Oh! Im rewriting a few of the chapters (I will let you know which ones) so you may see some changes in the chapter list. Don't worry, the plot won't change at all._


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